Day 44 - ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Andy Sanchez

Shalom's father Andy gave me a tour of his work and the shop. These first few pieces (the eagle, the bench and the front of the entertainment center with the Santa Fe floral design) were in the house, then the others were in the showroom. Then he showed me all the wood and how everything is made. He said, "we like to say that our work is stories, and the pieces come with them" or something like that, and "we used to decide what we were going to build and then get the wood to do that, but now we look at the wood first and decide what to make from that."

It's a family business - his son Aaron works with him, and all 9 of the kids have some artistry in them. I think the chess set here may have been made by his son? (it's cowboys & Indians themed, not pc but historically accurate) Anyhow, it reminded me a bit of my great grandpa, who used to make and sell furniture made from polished agates (some of the Sanchez pieces feature agates as well). It was all beautiful.

(this photo on the left below is a close-up of the "waterfall" in the table above. :)